Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Making your own apple scrap vinegar or apple cider vinegar is a simple process and helps you have less waste in your home and be one step closer on your self-sufficiency journey!
Technically it should be called apple scrap vinegar, but I use ACV interchangeably since it ends up the same acidity as ACV! You can also follow this process for ANY fruit vinegar - I tried pear vinegar for the first time this year and it’s great!
Homemade vinegar shouldn’t be used for canning purposes. You can also grab yourself a pH tester to see what pH your vinegar is at!
We use this vinegar year round for cooking recipes and supporting a healthy immune system. Feeling under the weather? Need an immune boost during the winter? Take a swig of your homemade ACV! It would also make the perfect base for some homemade fire cider.
Ingredients
Apple (or other fruit) scraps - including the core, peels, fruit, seeds and stems are fine too; remember to wash your apples first
Sugar
Filtered water
Glass jar - I like the big Anchor Hocking jars, you can find them at Walmart or Amazon! For smaller batches, I like the 1 gallon jars, for larger batches I use the 2 gallon jars
Instructions
Fill container halfway full with fruit scraps - cores, peels, etc.
Cover with filtered water, pay attention to how many cups of water you’re adding
For every 1 cup water, add 1 tablespoon sugar & stir to combine, cover with paper towel or loosely with lid; you can also add a few tablespoons of ACV to help inoculate your batch and prevent mold from forming
Stir morning and night for 2 weeks. Stirring helps prevent mold from forming and makes sure different fruit pieces are at the top of the jar. You’ll notice bubbles form, the liquid will start to turn more orangey brown and smell like hard apple cider/vinegary
After 2 weeks, strain out fruit scraps* and pour liquid back into jar. Put lid loosely back on and store in cool, dark place.
After about 2 months, transfer to containers with lid to stop/slow the fermentation process. You can let it go longer before putting into sealed containers.
Pro tip: store fruit scraps in the freezer until you have enough to make a batch!*After fermenting, I give the discarded fruit scraps to the chickens!
FAQs
Eek that’s a lot of sugar, sugar is poison!
This ratio of sugar to water is essential for the fermentation process and makes the fermentation process simple and short. Consuming large amounts of refined sugar is not ideal for your health. Lucky for you, you’re not taking heaping spoonfuls of sugar when you drink a tablespoon of ACV. In fact, did you know consuming ACV with meals can actually regulate your blood sugar and help with blood sugar spikes?
Can I use honey or other sweetener in place of the sugar?
I’ve read that honey could work in place of the sugar in the recipe, but it will take longer for the initial fermentation with the scraps in the water. You’ll want to pay attention to how it smells and once it smells like hard apple cider and vinegary, strain and move to the longer ferment.
I have bruised apples and some with holes or hail damage, can I use these for vinegar?
Yes! It’s completely fine to use fruit that has blemishes and is a great way to use fruit you might not want to eat without it going to waste. Just make sure you don’t use any rotten or moldy fruit.
I don’t have very many apple scraps right now, can I save them for later?
Yes! Store the apple scraps in the freezer until you’re ready to make a batch of vinegar! Thaw the scraps first, then follow the steps like normal.
There’s a light film forming on the top of my vinegar during the long 2 month ferment, is this normal?
Yes! Similar to kombucha, sometimes vinegar can form a SCOBY on the top full of beneficial bacteria. We usually discard this (or give to the chickens) when we bottle the vinegar.
